A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

The ones Henry was overhearing talked for a while longer until they suddenly stopped. But it wasn't only them. Many other groups went silent as well and looked, as one, at a group that was trudging over.

Henry saw Doherty glance over at the group like everyone else before he rolled his eyes and groaned. Watching the reaction, Henry found himself smiling slightly as he thought,

'Jealousy, maybe?'

That was mostly a joke but it wasn't totally unfounded. The newly arriving group had better equipment. They had armor made of metal and their sword handles were gilded with fine metal alloys while sheathed in beautiful sheaths. This was especially the case for the two at the front of the group;

A man —tall with dirty blond hair smoothed back stylishly, with an easy-going smile on his face—, and a lady, well above average height with her back straight and her expression fairly neutral and almost inviting despite the unmistakable feel of regality it gave off.

The lady had straight dark hair that seemed to shine and her grey eyes were piercing and appeared to search the gathered crowd of various groups. Those eyes must have fallen on everyone at one point and they eventually fell on Doherty's group.

The lady frowned at Doherty almost in recognition and then she looked at the others in the riding party one by one until her eyes were on Henry. She stared at him and Henry stared right back until he saw her gaze fall.

'What's she looking at?' Henry wondered and followed her gaze.

At first, Henry thought it was his gun and his belt of bullets, and although that must have caught her attention, her gaze continued until she was staring at the cuff on his wrist.

With a stare that seemed to bore into the cuff, the lady's frown deepened and her hand moved ever so slightly to the handle of the sword hooked to her side.

"Fucking Knights!" Doherty said under his breath.

Henry glanced at him and saw the leader of the Raiding Party move his hand to his sword. The other Mercenaries shared his unease and their hands moved to their swords as well.

"Think they'll fight?" Louis asked suddenly by Henry's side. He had clearly been paying as much attention to recent developments as Henry had.

Henry shrugged,

"If they do, we might not have to enter the Dungeon after all," he said in a 'It's a win either way' sort of tone.

"But that lady in Armor is pretty though," Louis said, in the same tone he had used to speak so far and with his eyes as wide as ever.

Henry nodded,

"Yeah, she is," he said before he added with the corner of his lips twitching,

"But, when is she drawing that sword though?"

"Sir Aurelius," someone called out from the groups that had been gathered before and a man stepped toward the newly arrived group of Armor wearing people with an enthusiastic smile that only got wider when his eyes fell on the lady in Armor,

"Dame Eloise," he said with a bit of reverence on his face and an awed expression,

"It's great to see you but— You'll be raiding this Dungeon too?"

The Male Knight, who was apparently called Sir Aurelius, smiled,

"Why? Are we not allowed?"

"Oh, no, of course you are," the man said as he looked from Eloise's pretty face to Aurelius'

"It's just… The Dungeon has been judged to only be Third-Floor. It's much beneath your station, is all I meant."

"You're not wrong," Aurelius said and didn't seem to take offense as he directed attention to the group with him,

"But Eloise and I are not here for ourselves. We have with us some talented Squires who wish to take up the Knighthood but have little to no experience in Dungeon Raiding. We're here for them."

"Oh," the man said and nodded like his curiosity had been sated.

Henry looked at the group Aurelius had referred to as 'Squires' and, forget Dungeon Raiding, he doubted any of them had ever been in a fight. They were much too green.

And then he felt a shift in the air and looked away from the Squires to see Eloise's hand tighten around her sword handle.

"Eloise…!" Aurelius called out to her but she ignored him.

"Deplorable vermin," Eloise said in a voice spitting with venom.

With the sound of a steel blade grating against the inside of its sheath, Eloise drew her sword and had it pointed at Doherty in a second. In a move so fast, Henry had barely been able to catch it.

He heard her voice and suddenly, her sword was out and gleaming in the first true rays of dawn.

Almost as quickly, Doherty and the other Mercenaries drew their swords as well and pointed them in retaliation.

"Careful now, Miss," Doherty said with equal venom,

"Annoy me and I'll be cutting you up before you can spout the words of that pretentious oath you swore!"

Eloise glanced at Henry and the rest of the Raiding Party who all had control cuffs on and her grey eyes seemed to flare as her Mana surged violently,

"Have you no honor?" She asked, "How can you gladly indulge in Slave labor?"

Henry winced at the term she used. He knew that was what the cuffs had made him but he had avoided thinking of it like that so far and to be faced with it now…

'*Sigh* I really need to get this fucking thing off!'

"Call it whatever you want, it's legal!" Doherty said and his mana surged as well.

"Legal?" Eloise said like she detested the word,

"What about morality? To force them with the threat of mental electrocution… I won't be living up to my oath if I don't cut you down."

"Eloise!" Aurelius said in an even louder voice as he placed a hand on her armored shoulder and pulled her back right as she was about to swing her sword,

"That's enough."

"Enough? You see what—" Eloise started but Aurelius interrupted her to repeat,

"That's enough. Leave these men alone."

For a second, Henry thought Eloise wouldn't walk away. He was betting on a fight but of course, his luck as of recent had been dogshit. So with one last glare at Doherty and his Mercenary buddies, Eloise sheathed her sword and stepped back.

"I apologize for her outburst," Aurelius told Doherty gently.

Doherty and the Mercenaries sheathed their swords but his face was still twisted in annoyance,

"Just keep that bitch away from me if you want her to keep her head," he said.

Aurelius twitched at the threat and for a moment, Henry saw a crack in his polite demeanor but then, he just gave a small head nod and stepped back.

"What a wuss," Louis said, "Could have at least let the lady take a swing or two."

Henry was about to answer when a loud voice from those closest to the portal cried out,

"It's opening!"

All eyes went to the portal as its irregular and violently surging energy began to stabilize until it thrummed with a uniform and somewhat inviting flow.

"Sir Aurelius?" Said the man who had addressed Aurelius and Eloise earlier.

Aurelius nodded,

"Yes, we'll go in first," he said and with a cautioning glance at Eloise, he said,

"Come on."

Eloise let out a sigh and followed him as they led their squad of Squires through the Portal and quickly vanished.

The groups began to enter next and soon, Doherty led his Raiding Party in.

The Portal felt like water, or at least that was how its flow felt. Not at all difficult to walk through and then, on the other side, he was smacked in the face by powerful energy backed with the distinct scent of…

"Decay," Doherty said,

"There's a lot of Death here."

Almost immediately, Henry received an alert from the System;

[Title 'Death's Bane' is now active.]